Free Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Acting (But Were Afraid To Ask, Dear) by West End Producer

it is much better to be self-deprecating. If others want to flatter you, let them. Never flatter yourself. Unless you are really good. In which case, go for it.
    I am currently lobbying Spotlight to allocate a ‘threat’ status option in the actor’s ‘skills’ section. This will allow your agent to input what threat of an actor you are – and save lots of precious audition time and money. For example, if I need sixteen quintuple-threat actors who can play the didgeridoo, this simple tool will save my casting director years of searching.
     
     
It’s a sad truth, but to succeed in the business these days you need to be highly skilled in all areas. It’s just like if you are an IT expert, being proficient on Excel is not enough – youalso have to be skilled in Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and PornHider – and because there are so many actors out there each discipline has to be finely honed. However, being a multiskilled performer also has its disadvantages – as you can be considered a ‘jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none’.
     
If you are lucky enough to have floppy hair, a posh voice, and some lovely brogues then your first job will be at the RSC. But if, at the beginning of your career, you do a musical, then a play, then a cabaret, then a cruise ship, then a physical-theatre piece, then back to an acting piece – your CV looks confusing as it doesn’t look like you specialise in one type of performance. Which is the frustrating thing – because you can do them all! So, I suggest being clever with your CV, and only putting jobs on there that sell you as the type of actor you want to be. If you want to be a serious actor, just put plays and TV credits on. This makes it far more likely that a casting director will take you seriously.
     
     
If you have a CV that’s full of all different disciplines, a casting director and director won’t know what to do with you. In one respect you are more cast-able when just leaving drama school – as you are a blank canvas. For example, if you have been working professionally for years and have only theatre credits on your CV, it’s very unlikely a TV casting director will call you in. So decide what kind of actor you are. However, by saying this I don’t mean you should turn all work down. Work leads to work, and contacts lead to contacts – but just be conscious of what kind of actor you will be perceived as.
     
     
   
     

    We recently auditioned a girl who said she was a triple threat. The only thing threatening about her was the size of her teeth, dear.

    To Be a Leading Actor, or Not to Be a Leading Actor – That is the Question
    As mentioned earlier, deciding what kind of roles you want to play is very important. Many actors will only accept ‘leading roles’ so that they continue being known as a ‘leading actor’, whilst other actors are happy to get two solo lines in an entire show. It all depends what kind of an actor you see yourself as.
    Many people argue that there are no leading actors, that in fact the company as a whole are the leading actors. Whilst this is a very nice, idealistic vision of theatre, it is sadly not how it works. Every show has a lead, a supporting actor and an ensemble. Many times it is the lead who the audience are going to watch – and you will notice that even if a show is supposed to be an ‘ensemble’ piece, the lead’s name and photo will be on all the marketing and PR material. So, of course, they are then ‘looked on’ as being the leads.
    Different Types of Actors
    A leading actor will have the most lines and usually the play/show will be based around their character. As a rule they will have been cast before anyone else is auditioned – just so that everyone ‘works’ around them. Although they are playing the most significant role in the show, they may not be the best-qualified person to do it. But they will have excellent ‘bums on seats’ value –